Page 35

Jude

B y the time I pulled into the lot at The Golden Team offices, my heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear myself think.

I parked crooked, half on the line, but I didn’t care.

I slammed the truck door and rushed toward the front entrance, punching in the security code with shaking fingers.

The second I stepped inside, River looked up from behind his desk.

One look at my face, and he was already pushing back his chair, standing.

“What happened?” he asked, voice low and serious.

Not a hint of teasing now.

“I need to talk to you,” I said, my voice tight. “Now.”

He nodded once, motioning me toward the small conference room off the main floor.

I moved quickly, barely noticing Sean and Gage in their office glance up from their desk, their easy smiles slipping into frowns as they followed us.

The second the door clicked shut behind us, River turned to me, arms crossed, face unreadable.

“Talk.”

I told him everything.

The man on the pier.

The way he watched me.

The instincts that screamed it wasn’t random.

When I finished, River was silent for a beat, his expression turning grimmer by the second.

“You sure?” he asked. “You sure it wasn’t just a tourist with bad manners?”

“I’m sure,” I said firmly.

“I know what a tail feels like. This wasn’t some guy checking me out.

This was a pro.”

River swore under his breath and scrubbed a hand down his face.

“You think it’s CIA-related?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Maybe Vance is reaching out behind those prison walls.”

“But I disappeared, River. I disappeared for a reason.

If someone’s found me now...”

I trailed off, swallowing hard.

“If they found me, they’re not here for a reunion.”

He stared at me a second longer, then pulled out his phone and hit a speed dial.

It barely rang once before the other side picked up.

“Cyclone,” River said, his voice clipped.

“You need to get to the office. Now.

It's Jude.”

He hung up without waiting for a response.

I sucked in a breath, my hands curling into fists at my sides.

“I didn’t want to pull him into this.”

River gave me a look.

“Tough. You’re his life now. You think he’s gonna sit this one out?”

I didn’t answer.

Because deep down, I knew he was right. I just wanted to keep him safe.

Less than ten minutes later, the front door slammed open so hard it rattled the windows.

Cyclone stormed in, wild-eyed, scanning the room until he found me.

He crossed the floor in three long strides, grabbing my face between his hands, searching me like he thought I might disappear.

“You hurt?” he rasped, his voice breaking.

“No,” I whispered, heart twisting at the raw panic in his eyes.

“I’m okay.”

He pulled me into his chest, holding me so tight I could barely breathe — and I didn’t care.

I needed it.

Needed him.

“What happened?” he demanded, not letting go.

I told him everything again, my voice steadier this time, feeding off his strength.

When I finished, Cyclone turned to River.

We will call in the Golden Team. They’ve been through this and know who we’re dealing with. We won’t call the police; we can handle this alone.

River’s face was hard as stone.

“We need to start digging.

We’ll check the cameras near the pier.

We’ll keep an eye on her.

And if anyone even looks at her wrong...

He didn’t finish the sentence.

He didn’t have to.

Cyclone pressed a kiss to my hair, his voice so low only I could hear it.

“I’m not losing you, Jude. Not now. Not ever.”

And for the first time since I spotted that man on the pier, I believed it.

I wasn’t running anymore.

I wasn’t alone anymore.

And if my past thought it could come for me again...It was about to find out just how wrong it was.